July 8, 2002

Juli Inkster's children love mom's victory dances

By JIM SEIMAS
Sentinel staff writer

Hayley Inkster, 12, had only watched a few holes of her mom's win Sunday at U.S. Women's Open, when she chose a highlight.

"I like the 18th," she said. "That's when she jumps around. I like seeing her dances."

Juli Inkster's fist pumping and victory dances have become refreshingly routine during her illustrious Hall of Fame career.

Sheâs been so successful, the 42-year-old Inkster and daughters Hayley and Cori, 8, created a catchy rhyme after one of her many tournament victories.

Inkster put it to use in a phone call to her daughters in Los Altos on Sunday.

"She called and said, 'Winner, winner!' " Hayley said. "And we said, 'Chicken dinner!' It rhymes so we say that."

Winner winner! Chicken dinner!

Trailing the world's top-ranked female golfer by two-strokes entering the final round of the U.S. Women's Open, Inkster earned a two-stroke victory over Annika Sorenstam to win her second Open crown.

Inkster, a Santa Cruz native, shot a final-round 66 for a 4-under-276 total. It was Inksterâs seventh major championship.

Inkster, who won the LPGA Championship in 2000, and Babe Zaharias are the only two women to have won two majors in their 40s.

While Brian Inkster joined his wife just off the 18th green at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., the rest of the family was home in California, avoiding the TV with a variety of excuses.

After the victory, Inkster's parents, Jack and Carole Simpson, in Santa Cruz and daughters in Los Altos finally sat down to watch, plugging their taped versions of the event into the VCR.

This is what a condensed version of what their VCRs captured: Inkster draining numerous long birdie and par putts on unforgiving greens, Inkster pumping her fist, and later hoisting a trophy as big as Cori.

Over the final 36 holes, Inkster needed only 50 putts. Sorenstam had 62.

"I can't watch it (live on TV)," Jack Simpson said. "If you're there and she does bad on a hole, you can storm to the next hole. To watch it live on TV drives me crazy. So I tape it."

Carole Simpson tracked her daughter's Open adventure on the Internet. When she saw Inkster was 5-under through the 16th hole, she made her husband turn on the TV for the final two holes.

Hayley and Cori were watching Adam Sandler's film "Mr. Deeds" with their longtime nanny Tina England when their mother made history. The trio thought the Open aired on TV at 3 p.m.

England, 27, got a call from her mom when Inkster completed No. 16. England, on the way home from the theater, hastily drove the kids to a nearby friendâs house where they caught the final hole.

"She's like a mom to me," said England, who has worked for Inkster for nearly seven years. "She is the nicest and most big-hearted person I know. I love watching her when she gets on a roll, because sheâs on fire. I love her competitive spirit."

While England and Inkster's daughters have been to a handful of LPGA events this year, Jack Simpson said the kids didnât make the trip to Kansas because it doesnât have a lot of tourist attractions to entertain them.

"I like being there," Hayley said of traveling. "Itâs different to be there and see it. Weâll go to amusement parks and usually watch her on the weekend. We always do fun stuff."

They do fun stuff here, too.

After the victory, England and the kids bought Inkster some flowers and several celebratory posterboards, which should be affixed to the garage door when the Open champ pulls into her driveway today.

"I told her good job," Hayley said.

Cori said she was happy for her mother, but didnât appear to understand the magnitude of the victory.

Her mother did.

"To beat the best player in the world, you don't get an opportunity to do that often. This is pretty sweet." Inkster said.